Local, fresh, pure: Auburn Foods the subject of Friday’s This is Auburn Speaker Series event

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Auburn foods and dining on campus will be the topics discussed at the This is Auburn Speaker Series event set for Friday, Sept. 29, at 3 p.m., at the Auburn Alumni Center. Auburn alumnus and Director of Campus Dining at Auburn University Glenn Loughridge will talk about changes to campus dining and how students today are enjoying fresh, local food as part of their college experience. He will present “Getting Back to Our Roots: The Story of Auburn Foods.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to sample Auburn Foods, a brand that encompasses local foods that are produced on campus or in the community and then served at dining locations at the university. Auburn Foods is a partnership with the College of Agriculture, local farmers and producers.

Loughridge became Auburn University’s director of Campus Dining in 2012. A native of Clearwater, Florida, and a 1994 Auburn alumnus, Loughridge works with the Auburn dining contractor, student groups, faculty and staff to create a campus dining experience that is dynamic and responsive to changes in dining needs and tastes.

In 2016, he oversaw the implementation of the nation’s first certified gluten-free, on-campus restaurant, Plains to Plate. The restaurant not only earned the Gluten-Free Food Service certification, but the venue also carries 100 percent farm-to-table locally sourced produce. This year, Loughridge helped launch Auburn Foods,

Loughridge received Auburn’s Spirit of Sustainability Award in 2016 for his commitment to promoting local foods, reducing waste and bringing healthier options to campus. He has been honored as the Student Government Association Supporter of the Year and was involved with two projects—aquaponics system and food entrepreneur conference—that received President’s Collaborative Unit Awards for the 2016-17 academic year.

Loughridge’s talk is being given the Friday before Auburn’s football game versus Mississippi State. For information on the This is Auburn Speaker Series, go to http://ocm.auburn.edu/speaker_series/.